Fibrous batt feeding mechanism

ABSTRACT

A MECHANISM FOR FEEDING A FIBROUS TEXTILE BATT TO A PROCESSING AREA SUCH AS A NEEDLING MACHINE. THE FEED MECHANISM INCLUDES A PAIR OF UPPER AND LOWER FEED ROLLS EACH OF WHICH HAVE SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIAL GROOVES, GROOVES OF ONE ROLL BEING ALIGNED WITH GROOVES OF THE OTHER ROLL. A PLURALITY OF UPPER AND LOWER ELONGATED GUIDE ELEMENTS WHICH EXTEND THROUGH THE GROOVES IN THE UPPER AND LOWER FEED ROLLS, RESPECTIVELY, FROM THE ENTERING SIDE OF THE ROLLS, BETWEEN THE ROLLS AND UP TO THE BATT PROCESSING AREA. THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL AREAS OF THE ROLLS, WHICH LIE BETWEEN THE GROOVES, COMPRESS THE BATT AND ADVANCE IT THROUGH A CHANNEL FORMED BY THE GUIDE ELEMENTS WHICH MAINTAIN THE BATT IN A COMPRESSED STATE UP TO THE PROCESSING AREA.

Nov. 23, 1971 F. a. MORRILL 3,621,540

["IBROUS BATT FEEDING MECHANISM [-ilod Nov. 5, 1969 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGI FIG. 2 29 Nov. 23., 1971 F. B. MORRILL 3,621,540

FIBROUS BATT FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 5. 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK B. MORRILL ATTORNEY United States '5 atent O 3,621,540 FIBROUS BATT FEEDING MECHANISM Frank Baxter Morrill, North Adams, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Corporation, Worcester, Mass. Filed Nov. 3, 1969, Ser. No. 873,336 Int. Cl. D0411 18/00 US. Cl. 28-4 R Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mechanism for feeding a fibrous textile batt to a processing area such as a needling machine. The feed mechanism includes a pair of upper and lower feed rolls, each of which have spaced circumferential grooves; grooves of one roll being aligned with grooves of the other roll. A plurality of upper and lower elongated guide elements which extend through the grooves in the upper and lower feed rolls, respectively, from the entering side of the rolls, between the rolls and up to the batt processing area. The circumferential areas of the rolls, which lie between the grooves, compress the batt and advance it through a channel formed by the guide elements which maintain the batt in a compressed state up to the processing area.

This invention relates to means for feeding a batt of loose textile fibers and particularly for feeding the batt to a batt processing apparatus such as a needle felting machine of the type having a plurality of reciprocating needles.

Most of the prior art devices feed the batt to the batt processing area by a conveyor and remove the processed batt from the processing area by a pair of positively driven rolls. US. Pat. No. 3,010,178 to E. C. Rust, Jr., is an example of this type of device. Other types of machines, such as that shown in US. Pat. No. 2,377,564 to E. Lundgren, use driving rolls to take away the processed batt and to feed the batt to the processing area.

Since a textile batt is made up of loose fibers, it is very difiicult to feed the batt positively. Conveyors may advance the batt to the processing area but they cannot forcibly feed it into the processing area. It is also necessary to compress the batt before it enters the processing area so that it can be more easily fed and be more efficiently processed. Feed rolls to compress the batt and forcibly feed it to the processing area but there is always a gap between the contact point or nip of the feed rollers and the starting point of the processing area such as the first row of needles in a needle felting machine. This gap enables the batt to recover and fluff up again before it begins to be processed. One method of compressing the batt is to provide a guide chute (see Lundgren supra) which necks down to the processing area. This solution, however, has a drawback in that there is a gap between the nip of the feed rolls and the chute so that the batt will recover its original thickness and may follow the peripheries of the feed rolls and become entangled.

In some cases, the batt is made up of relatively short or slippery fibers so that the batt has very little strength. Batts of this type have to be fed into the batt processing area together with a base fabric.

The use of takeway rolls for drawing the processed batt from the processing area has been less than successful. Since the batt has to be pulled through the processing area, the timing of the, takeway rolls is very critical if it is operated to match the processing phase such as the reciprocations of the needles in a needle felting machine. If the takeway rolls are not timed but are operated to pull the batt softly with some degree of slippage, there is always a danger that the rolls may not take the batt away fast enough or too fast so that it separates.

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an important object of the present invention to overcome all of the above disadvantages by providing a feeding mechanism which will positively feed a fibrous batt in a compressed state up close to a batt processing area without the use of a base fabric for feeding purposes.

The feeding mechanism of the present invention includes a pair of feed rolls, each of which have circumferential grooves. The grooves of one roll are substantially aligned with the grooves of the other and the circumferential areas between the grooves of one roll are substantially aligned with respective similar areas of the other roll for advancing the batt toward the batt processing area. Elongated guide elements extend through the grooves in both guide rolls between both rolls. The guide elements diverge away from the feed rolls at the batt entering sides of the rolls to form an entering chute for the batt. The guide elements also extend up to the batt processing area in a substantially parallel fashion. The batt therefore is guided into the entering nip of the feed rolls by the diverging portions of the guide elements. The batt is then compressed by the feed rolls and advanced toward the batt processing area between a guide channel formed by the elongated guide elements. The guide elements extend to the batt processing area and maintain the batt in a compressed state right up to the processing area. The guide elements are always in contact with the batt from the time that the batt enters the nip of the feed rollers until the batt enters the processing area so that the batt is prevented from following the peripheral surfaces of the feed rolls.

It has also been found that it is possible to shrink the batt by using the present invention if shrinkage is desired. In the past, the batt had always been stretched by the takeway roll while, in cooperation with the present feeding device, the takeway roll may produce a desired shrinkage condition or may be dispensed with altogether.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the entrance of the batt processing area can be narrower because the batt is presented thereto in a more compressed condition than was heretofore possible. This results in better control in the batt processing area, particularly in a needle felting machine. In such a machine, the stripper and bed plates can be brought much closer together with the result that there is less flopping of the batt between the plates and there is less breakage of the needles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the invention as applied to a needle felting machine;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 in FIG. 1 side elevation looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and showing a modification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the novel batt feeding apparatus is generally indicated at 10 and is shown as applied to a needle felting machine generally indicated at 11.

The needle felting machine 11 includes an upper stripper plate 12 and a lower bed plate 14 which form a working station or processing area 15 therebetween. A series of needles 16 mounted on a reciprocating needle board 18 are reciprocated through aligned holes 20 and 22 in plates 12 and 14, respectively.

Batt feeding apparatus 10 includes a pair of upper and lower feed rolls 24 and 26, respectively, mounted on a pair of upper and lower shafts 21 and 23, respectively. A gear 25, fixed to a drive shaft 27, drives a gear 31 which is fixed to shaft 23. Gear 31 drives an equal gear 33 fixed to shaft 21 so that feed rolls 24 and 26 are rotated equally and in opposite directions as indicated by arrows 35. Each feed roll has a series of spaced circumferential grooves 28, see also FIG. 3. The grooves 28 of roll 24 are aligned with the grooves 28 of roll 26 so that the circumferential areas 29 between the grooves of one roll are opposed to similar circumferential areas 29 of the other roll. A plurality of upper and lower guide elements or rods 30 and 32, respectively, are anchored at one end in upper and lower support brackets 34 and 36, respectively, located outside of the rolls. Rods 30 and 32 extend through grooves 28 in feed rolls 24 and 26, respectively, and between both feed rolls. Rods 30 and 32 extend from the feed rolls in parallel fashion up to a point very close to the first row of needles 16. Rods 30 and 32 are spaced from each other to form a batt guiding channel 38 therebetween. Rods 30 and 32 diverge from the feed rolls toward brackets 34 and 36, respectively, to form a batt receiving chute generally indicated at 40.

The batt of loose textile fibers indicated at B is fed toward the feed rolls by a conveyor 42. If the batt is extra fluffy, the diverging portions of rods 30 and 32 which form guide chute 40 will guide the batt into the nip 43 of the rolls 24 and 26. The circumferential surface areas 29 of the rolls engage the batt, thereby compressing it and advancing the batt toward the needles 16 along channel 38. The batt will be in contact with rods 30 and 32 from the time it enters the nip 43 of the rolls until it reaches the needles 16 and will reach the needles in a compressed state.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a modification wherein upper and lower guide rods indicated at 30 and 32, respectively, are slidably mounted in the grooves 28 of feed rolls 24 and 26, respectively. Rods 30 and 32' extend through the grooves 28 up to the needles 16 and form a batt guiding channel 38. Rods 30 and 32 extend loosely around a substantial portion of their respective grooves 28 and are prevented from rotating with the feed rolls in the directions of arrows 44 because their ends are restrained by upper and lower plates 12 and 14, respectively. Except for the manner in which rods 30' and 32 are mounted, they function in the same manner as rods 30 and 32 for guiding a batt through the feed rolls and up to the needles 16.

Having particularly described the invention, what is now claimed is:

1. In a needle felting machine having reciprocating needles, an upper stripper plate, and a lower bed plate, apparatus for feeding a batt of fibrous material to said needles comprising:

(a) upper and lower spaced feed rolls for compressing said batt and advancing it toward said needles;

(b) a plurality of stationary elongated upper guide elements, the longitudinal axis of which are arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said upper feed roll, said elongated elements extending from one side of said upper roll and having a portion which extends partially around said upper roll and between said upper and lower rolls, said upper elongated elements terminating short of the needles in restraining contact with said upper stripper plate; and

(c) a plurality of stationary elongated lower guide elements, the longitudinal axis of which are arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said lower feed roll, said elongated elements extending from one side of said lower feed roll and having a portion which extends partially around said lower feed roll between said upper and lower feed rolls, said lower elongated elements terminating short of the needles of restraining contact with the said lower bed plate whereby said upper and lower elongated guide elements guide said batt from said feed rolls to said plates 2. In a needle felting machine as described in claim 1 wherein said upper and lower feed rolls each have a plurality of circumferential grooves and wherein said elongated elements extend through a portion of said grooves.

3. In a needle felting machine as described in claim 1 wherein said upper elongated elements diverge from said lower elongated elements at said one side of said rolls to form a V-shaped opening for said batt.

4. In a needle felting machine as described in claim 1 wherein said batt feeding apparatus comprises means located outside of said rolls for supporting said elongated elements.

5. In a needle felting machine as described in claim 1 wherein said upper and lower elongated elements extend about more than 50% of the circumference of their respective feed rolls so as to be loosely supported thereby for relative motion between said respective rolls and their associated elongated elements.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,770,252 7/1930 Robertson et al. 284

1,934,649 11/1933 Walsh 2s 4 2,372,484 3/1945 Gould 28--4 FOREIGN PATENTS 6,605,768 5/1967 Netherlands 2s 4 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner 

